I can't believe my eyes
by JammyWammy
Summary: Tifa had never been so upset and disappointed with her makeshift family. Oneshot.
**I do not own Final Fantasy VII and its characters**

Tifa brushed her smooth raven hair as she got ready for another day, it was Sunday morning and the bar was closed for the day and she couldn't wait spend her time with her makeshift family. She smiled before she turned around go to out the downstairs to make them a big breakfast, she had always done that every Sunday. She went straight to the kitchen, slid on her apron then she got to work.

When she was done after a while, she started placing three plates of delicious food on the counter top with a bright smile on her face, she giggled when she heard thundering foosteps coming down the stairs and a messy haired Denzel and a beaming Marlene popped out at the end of it.

"Hey Denz, Marly, breakfast is re-"

"No, we don't have time to eat, we promised Nathan that we'll come by his house early so we can start on our project for next week, we're partners, I told you yesterday. And Marlene got invited too." He said as they ran towards the front door.

"What? But you need to eat first!" Tifa yelled after them.

"Nathan's mom promised breakfast for us! We're actually pretty late! See you later Tifa!" Marlene piped before they hurriedly slammed the door shut. Tifa's face fell then she looked down at the discarded breakfast of Denzel and Marlene, she sighed before she heard someone else coming down. The blond haired swordsman showed up with his usual blank look.

"Hey... Cloud." She greeted him with a smile that didn't reach her eyes.

"Hey Teef." He said as he made his way towards the door to grab his keys.

"Hey, aren't you going to eat?" She asked, taken aback at the triple rejection she had for that day.

"No, sorry, I have an important delivery this morning."

"But... It's Sunday!" Tifa exclaimed, already frustrated. Cloud stopped on his tracks to look behind his shoulder before he sighed.

"I know, it'll be just for the morning. I will be paid double with this job and it will help us with Marlene and Denzel's school fees." He said with his mouth formed in a thin line. Tifa just nodded and didn't push any further.

"Right... Take care then." She said. Then she turned around suddenly.

"What's the problem?" Cloud asked, he too turned around to face her back.

"Nothing. Just go, Cloud."

"What? Are you upset because of my job? We need the money Tifa."

"I know that, that's why I have no problems with it." She said without looking at him.

"That's not what I see, you're a very bad liar Tifa." Cloud retorted. Tifa turned around to face him, a scowl visible on her face.

"I told you that it's fine Cloud." She said through gritted teeth, she saw how Cloud's jaw started to set, they stared at each other for a while before he spoke.

"I'll go now, I'm already late. Thanks to you." He said before he turned around, Tifa stared at him in disbelief.

"Because of me?!" She yelled then he slammed the door shut behind him. Tifa clenched her fists as she stared the spot where everyone disappeared to, her nails digging on her flesh which caused it to bleed. She closed her eyes to calm herself before she started wrapping everything up so she can put them on the fridge. Then she just decided to clean up, she lost her appetite anyway. The cleaning will distract her from the events of that morning, she was upset, really upset. She started her cleaning duties for the day as well as the laundry. Sweep, mop, wipe, polish, it was enough to divert her mind to something else. She was so engrossed in cleaning that she didn't realized it was past lunch time. She panicked and hurriedly went over to the kitchen when the phone rang, she hurriedly answered it.

"Hello?"

"Hey Tifa!" It was Marlene. "We won't be home for lunch, we already ate so you don't need to prepare anything." She said, tifa closed her eyes in frustration.

"Okay Marly, you having a good time?" She asked while she rubbed her forehead.

"Yes, it's the best fun I've ever had!" She piped, Tifa was hurt that she was finding it more fun in someone else's home than their own.

"Okay, make sure to stay behaved, say hello to Nathan's mom for me." Tifa said.

"Okay! Bye!" Then there was a click. Tifa slowly placed the receiver back with a sigh. She suddenly thought of Cloud, their little fight in morning was getting to her, so she grabbed the receiver again to dial his number, it rang a few times until his voicemail took over. She sighed before she spoke.

"Cloud... I'm sorry about this morning, I didn't mean to make you upset. Please, don't be mad at me." She felt hot tears brimming on her eyes but blinked it away, she suddenly realized how lonely she was. "Please come home as soon as you're done, then we'll talk okay?" She said gently, then she placed down the receiver with another sigh. She looked around with a sad look, somehow, house work was not the best thing to do at the moment so she went upstairs to lock herself up in her room, probably catch up some sleep. It was a while before she could go to sleep though, she just tossed and turned for what felt like hours.

* * *

Tifa woke up suddenly with start, she didn't know what woke her up like that until she heard a loud noise downstairs. She bolted up, thinking that there was an intruder. She saw the time and she saw that it was almost night time.

 _I overslept!_ She thought then she inwardly Cursed. She slid out the bed to run downstairs. When she reached the bar, there was nobody there, everything was neat and tidy, just the way she left it before she retired to her room. Then she heard it again, it was coming from the garage, she gasped slightly, thinking that her assumptions were right, somebody had broken in and was stealing their stuff from the garage, so she hurriedly ran towards it, she hastily opened the door to find everything pitch black, it was that dark in that place when the lights were not on, specially if it was already dark outside. But she noticed something in the middle of the room, there were three candle lights floating in the dark. She wasn't sure what it was so she didn't move, until it started moving forward, and the illuminated faces of Cloud, Marlene and Denzel appeared. She stared at them in both surprise and confusion. And she realized that the candles were attached to a cake. She looked up at Cloud once again and she saw that he was smiling.

"To the most patient and understanding woman in the planet." He said.

 _"Make sure you do everything to make her upset so when we surprise her, she'll be overwhelmed." Cloud said with a smirk and the kids nodded with smiles on their faces._

"To the woman who's willing to sacrifice everything for us." Denzel said with a smile.

 _"How about we tell her that we're going to Nathan's?" Denzel asked and Marlene nodded._

 _"Good idea!"_

"To you who has been selfless to love us like your own." Marlene said.

 _"That breakfast looked really delicious, I hope she doesn't throw them away in anger." Denzel said with a pout whie he played with his food in a diner six blocks from their home._

 _"I hope so too." Cloud said as he shoved eggs in his mouth."_

Tifa slowly lifted her hand to cover her mouth, her tears threatening to fall. Cloud smiled sweetly before he spoke.

"Happy mother's day, Teef. We love you very much." And that's when Tifa started bawling like a child. She hadn't expected the surprise. She felt guilty that she was angry at them and all along, they planning something like this. Denzel switched on the lights then Cloud placed the cake on a nearby table when Tifa suddenly fell to her knees while she sobbed harder, Cloud knelt down to her height then he enveloped her into a tight hug, Denzel and Marlene followed after.

"I... I love you all, too... Very much..."

A/N: Happy mother's day to all the wonderful mother's out there!


End file.
